Fox News Scion James Murdoch Gives $1M To ADL After Charlottesville

James Murdoch. Image by Getty Images

By Daniel J. Solomon August 18, 2017

James Murdoch, the son and heir apparent of News Corp magnate Rupert Murdoch, pledged on Thursday to donate $1 million to the Anti-Defamation League in an impassioned letter in which he condemned President Trump’s actions after the weekend violence in Charlottesville.

“I’m writing to you in a personal capacity, as a concerned citizen and a father,” he said, in a communication to workers at News Corp’s 21st Century Fox, which he heads. “I can’t even believe I have to write this: standing up to Nazis is essential; there are no good Nazis. Or Klansmen, or terrorists.”

He also urged employees to give to the ADL in his letter, announcing his seven-figure donation. “Many of you are supporters of the Anti-Defamation League already — now is a great time to give more,” he said/

Murdoch’s father Rupert, the founder of the newspaper and entertainment empire, has been shier about attacking Trump, and has been figured as a sometime adviser to the embattled president. James Murdoch, set to inherit the company with brother Lachlan, has been known for a softer, more center-right line than his father.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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